Chicago & Midwest + Downtown + Office | May 3, 2023

EQ Office is planning a golden anniversary celebration for Willis Tower, which topped out construction on May 3, 1973

Willis Tower Reaches 50th Anniversary After $500M Redevelopment

EQ Office, Blackstone’s U.S. office portfolio company, announced plans to celebrate Willis Tower’s golden anniversary and iconic status in Chicago’s skyline. Wednesday marked 50 years since the landmark’s original topping-out ceremony, where it stood as the world’s tallest building for 23 years.

The tower was brought to life in 1973 by architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill when Sears needed a central office space for its employees. With a $500-million redevelopment project completed last year, EQ transformed the 110-story building.

“As we experience this new era for Willis Tower, this is a moment to recognize our historic past while celebrating the future,” said Kirsten Ekdahl Hull, SVP, portfolio management, EQ Office. “Between our state-of-the-art office spaces, new restaurant options, sustainability enhancements and re-imagined Skydeck experience, we have approached this building as stewards of our community to ensure the Tower remains a fixture in Chicago for decades to come.”

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EQ Office's Hull

About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 13-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 15-20 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

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